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| Good morning, friends of The Short List! It's John, here again with some of the journalistic highlights from the USA TODAY Network. I hope you are feeling fat and sassy like these fellows. Let's begin! |
| Fatema's story: "It seems impossible that civilization can be knocked back a few decades in an afternoon, that life as you know it can collapse before lunch, but it can, and it did." These are the words of Fatema Hosseini, 27, a journalist for one of Afghanistan's leading news agencies and a freelance reporter for USA TODAY. Fatema had never lived under the Taliban's rule and doing so for her was out of the question. With the help of USA TODAY reporter Kim Hjelmgaard and some lucky connections, Fatema escaped – barely – on a Ukrainian flight out of Kabul. Her escape was a terrifying, gut-wrenching experience, one that was shared by so many others who fled the Taliban. |
| Who gets a booster? Booster shots are the latest chapter in the seemingly never-ending COVID-19 pandemic. The third jabs are only available to recommended groups who got their second dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine at least six months ago. But shots are being doled out on the honor system – there's little policing to ensure the vaccines go to the intended people. Health experts are describing a "Wild West" environment, with people who don't meet the requirements seeking third shots, some under false pretenses. So should you get a booster? This can help you decide. |
| "Angel of the Alamo": The site of the famous 1836 battle in Texas' war for independence only exists today because of the dedication of a Tejana woman to preserve the structure – no matter what it cost her. In 1908, the oldest building in the Alamo complex in San Antonio was in danger of being razed. Adina De Zavala, the granddaughter of a Mexican man who was the first vice president of the Republic of Texas, locked herself inside the building and thus began a one-woman standoff. De Zavala's complicated identity as a Tejana, or Texan of Mexican descent, was her driver in saving the Alamo and its storied history. |
| There are more long reads to savor below. Have a great weekend! |
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